Assistant coach search moving forward

MARCH MADNESS comes early this year, at least as far as the WSU football assistant coaching search is concerned. By next week, Washington State will reportedly trim it's list to four to replace Robin Pflugrad, tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator who left last week to coach the receivers at Oregon. Two names mentioned for the WSU opening are former Husky assistant coaches, the Seattle Times report.

Scott Pelluer and Steve Axman are among the choices for the job according to a Seattle Times report. "I'd love to go back to my alma mater if I could," the article quotes Pelluer, a former WSU linebacker.

Axman is a long-time Pac-10 assistant with stops at Washington, UCLA and Arizona. He also was head coach at Northern Arizona for a number of years.

Pelluer, who was WSU's radio color commentator in 1999, has had two stints at Washington and also coached at Arizona in he early Mackovic era. He served as recruiting coordinator at Boise State from 1986-92. He has made no secret over the years that he'd love to coach at WSU. The NFL veteran got his coaching start as a graduate assistant for Mike Price at Weber State.

WSU offensive coordinator and receivers coach Mike Levenseller told the Times the recruiting coordinator position is of major import, and that tight end chores could be shared by him and offensive line coach George Yarno.

Pflugrad was also the assistant head coach, although that position would seem to be filled in house among the current Cougar coaches.

NOTE:
The Times also reported that Cougar running backs coach Kelly Skipper was a finalist for the recently filled New Orleans Saints' running back coach position.